Tennessee Learns Bowl Destination

After a 7-5 season, the Tennessee Volunteers have found out their bowl destination. Josh Heupel's first season will conclude in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee, against Purdue on December 30th.

The TV channel will be ESPN and the game will be played at 3:00 pm EST.

Heupel and Tennessee significantly outperformed outside expectations on the field this season. With a win over Vanderbilt in the regular-season finale, Heupel became the most successful first year head coach in power five.

Tennessee will be without senior Alontae Taylor who will not play in the bowl game's as he announced earlier this week. Tennessee Senior Cade Mays has yet to announce his intentions for the final game of the season, although he did sit out of the regular-season finale after suffering a lower leg injury the previous week.

Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker has yet to announce his intentions for next season as he continues to weigh options between the draft and returning for one more year of eligibility.

This matchup will pit Tennessee against a Purdue team that had multiple notable wins this past season, including knocking off two top ten opponents at the time.

If Heupel wins this game, he will become the most successful first year Tennessee head coach since Philip Fulmer, who won nine games in his first full season as Tennessee’s head coach.

Following the regular season finale, Heupel discussed the importance of having success in Year One. 

“Important for our program that we grew throughout the course of the season,” he said. You guys have seen our kids respond and grow throughout the course of the season. They’re great competitors, which is the first thing that you have to have inside of your program. Very consistent in that behavior. The one thing that I and we have never done is as a team put a ceiling on this group and they’ve responded to that too. They believe in who they are and are confident in themselves not only as individuals, but collectively as a group too. It was important for us to show those things throughout the season for sure. I think, as much as anything, all the recruiting we did from the time I got here in January up until September were really, in some way, words. You’re trying to compare and contrast things that you have done at other places and why it’s going to work here. I think the great thing about where we are at in recruiting now, recruits understand all of those things are true and will happen here.”

Did you know Volunteer Country on SI does Podcasts? Check out the staff's latest breakdowns here.

Volunteer Country on SI is also on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Check out any of the links to ensure you do not miss any of the coverage of your favorite Tennessee teams!

You can follow the staff, Matt, Jake, Dale and Jack on Twitter by clicking any of their names.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Vols targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects

Sports Illustrated also offers insight, information and up to the minute details for gamblers. Check it out here.